This is a family favorite that my grandmother, of Slovak decent, made when I was a kid. Now my mother and I make at least once a year. This recipe makes about 80 cabbage rolls, 2 roasters full, so that we have plenty to freeze for future meals. It takes us about 2 1/2 hours in the morning to get it all together, but it is so worth it when all is said and done!!

**I am sure most will not want to make so much, so just use the re-size button to get the quantities for the number of servings you would like for one dinner. I would think 3 to 4 rolls per person is a good size meal. And you will most likely have leftovers at that!

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Name: Stuffed Cabbage for a Crowd!
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 20
Cuisine: Hungarian
Ingredients: 4 small to medium Cabbage heads; 6 1/2 pounds Ground beef 80/20 mix; 2 1/2 pounds Ground Pork not sausage!; 1 1/2 or 2 large Onions diced, sauted in butter; 2 tablespoons Garlic powder; 2 teaspoons Garlic salt; 3 tablespoons Kosher Salt; 2 teaspoons Coarse Black Pepper; 3 cups Long grain rice uncooked; 4 46-oz bottles Tomato juice; 2 cans Campbell's Tomato Soup; Water

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INGREDIENTS

4 small to medium Cabbage heads
6 1/2 pounds Ground beef ; 80/20 mix
2 1/2 pounds Ground Pork ; not sausage!
1 1/2 or 2 large Onions ; diced, sauted in butter
2 tablespoons Garlic powder
2 teaspoons Garlic salt
3 tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Coarse Black Pepper
3 cups Long grain rice ; uncooked
4 46-oz bottles Tomato juice
2 cans Campbell's Tomato Soup
Water

Servings

INSTRUCTIONS

For Cabbage:

Core the cabbage, then immerse the whole head in boiling water until the outer leaves begin to loosen. Remove cabbage and carefully peel away as many outer leaves as will come off easily. If you need more leaves, place the cabbage back in simmering water for a minute or two.

Some cabbage leaves have a thick rib, which keeps them from lying flat and being easily rolled up. In that case, trim the end of the leaf (and the thick end of the rib) so you can more easily roll up the leaf with the stuffing.

For Stuffing:

Saute onion in some butter and let cool. Mix the ground beef, ground pork, onion, raw rice (do not use instant rice) and all the seasonings.

For Rolls:

Form meat mixture in about 2 inch balls. Place in a cabbage leaf starting close to rib end and roll up tucking in sides so that while roasting, the meat will not escape. Some rolls will be large and some small depending on the size of the cabbage leaf; adjust your meatball accordingly.

Assembly:

Place some cabbage leaves on the bottom of a very large roasting pan (We use the ones that are too small to roll or too green) Pour a little of the tomato juice and some water on the bottom. Place rolls in roaster with the loose end of the cabbage down so as it cooks it will not unroll. Do not pack in tightly. Allow a little "growing room" for each roll. Cover the first layer of rolls with more tomato juice and add your second layer. (We get 40 rollls in our large roaster.) Cover the top layer with one can of tomato soup and a can full of water. Pour tomato juice over all. Fill the 46-oz tomato juice bottle with water and add most or all of it to your roaster as well, making sure your rolls are all laying in the juice.

Cover with lid to roast.

Repeat process for the second roaster.

Bake at 350 for the first hour, then turn down to 300 for 4 hours, 5 hours total.

Keep a watch so that all of the liquid is not evaporating. The sauce will thicken as it cooks. Add more water/juice if needed and turn down the temp a little if burning. We like a lot of juice with our cabbage rolls so we have some "gravy" for our mashed potatoes :)

***This makes a huge amount and really takes us all day to make, but we don't make it often so we love freezing for future meals as this freezes very well. We roast all of the rolls on the same day, one roaster in the oven and an electric roaster on the counter with 40 cabbage rolls as well. If you are using an electric roaster, the cooking time is shorter - 4 to 4 1/2 hours total, at a lower temperature - 250 to 300.

We have cooked some on the stovetop in a large covered soup pot rather than using an electric roaster. The assembly is the same. After they come to a boil at medium-high heat, turn down to simmer for several hours.

NOTES

The amount of tomato juice you use will of course depend on the size of your roasters. Most times when we are reheating leftovers, we add a little more left over juice.

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Stuffed Cabbage for a Crowd!

4 small to medium Cabbage heads
6 1/2 pounds Ground beef 80/20 mix
2 1/2 pounds Ground Pork not sausage!
1 1/2 or 2 large Onions diced, sauted in butter
2 tablespoons Garlic powder
2 teaspoons Garlic salt
3 tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 teaspoons Coarse Black Pepper
3 cups Long grain rice uncooked
4 46-oz bottles Tomato juice
2 cans Campbell's Tomato Soup
 Water

For Cabbage:  
Core the cabbage, then immerse the whole head in boiling water until the outer leaves begin to loosen.  Remove cabbage and carefully peel away as many outer leaves as will come off easily.  If you need more leaves, place the cabbage back in simmering water for a minute or two.

Some cabbage leaves have a thick rib, which keeps them from lying flat and being easily rolled up.  In that case, trim the end of the leaf (and the thick end of the rib) so you can more easily roll up the leaf with the stuffing.

For Stuffing:
Saute onion in some butter and let cool. Mix the ground beef, ground pork, onion, raw rice (do not use instant rice) and all the seasonings.

For Rolls:
Form meat mixture in about 2 inch balls. Place in a cabbage leaf starting close to rib end and roll up tucking in sides so that while roasting, the meat will not escape. Some rolls will be large and some small depending on the size of the cabbage leaf; adjust your meatball accordingly.

Assembly:
Place some cabbage leaves on the bottom of a very large roasting pan (We use the ones that are too small to roll or too green) Pour a little of the tomato juice and some water on the bottom. Place rolls in roaster with the loose end of the cabbage down so as it cooks it will not unroll. Do not pack in tightly.  Allow a little "growing room" for each roll. Cover the first layer of rolls with more tomato juice and add your second layer. (We get 40 rollls in our large roaster.) Cover the top layer with one can of tomato soup and a can full of water. Pour tomato juice over all. Fill the 46-oz tomato juice bottle with water and add most or all of it to your roaster as well, making sure your rolls are all laying in the juice.   
Cover with lid to roast.
Repeat process for the second roaster.

Bake at 350 for the first hour, then turn down to 300 for 4 hours, 5 hours total. 
Keep a watch so that all of the liquid is not evaporating.  The sauce will thicken as it cooks.  Add more water/juice if needed and turn down the temp a little if burning. We like a lot of juice with our cabbage rolls so we have some "gravy" for our mashed potatoes :)

We have cooked some on the stovetop in a large covered soup pot rather than using an electric roaster.  The assembly is the same.  After they come to a boil at medium-high heat, turn down to simmer for several hours.

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Nutrition

View line-by-line Nutrition Insights™: Discover which ingredients contribute the calories/sodium/etc.


Serving Size: 1 Serving (720g)
Recipe Makes: 20 Servings

Calories: 649
Calories from Fat: 312 (48%)

Amt Per Serving		% DV

	Total Fat 34.7g	46 %
	Saturated Fat 13.2g	66 %
	Monounsaturated Fat 15.1g
	Polyunsanturated Fat 2g
Cholesterol 141.1mg		43 %
Sodium 1634.8mg		56 %
Potassium 1682.2mg		44 %
Total Carbohydrate 41.9g		12 %
	Dietary Fiber 6.3g	25 %
	Sugars, other 35.6g
Protein 43.1g		62 %
Powered by: USDA Nutrition Database Disclaimer: Nutrition facts are derived from linked ingredients (shown at left in colored bullets) and may or may not be complete. Always consult a licensed nutritionist or doctor if you have a nutrition-related medical condition.

About Our Nutrition Facts

Calories per serving: 649

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REVIEWS

claudettem.keirstead

Resized this recipe for 10 servings, and it still was huge. I had extra meat and rice, but some of the kids don't like cabbage but loved the rice mixture with cooked rice and ground meat and tomato juice. Will use this recipe again for sure.

11y

toysruskld

We use just pork and Hungarian paprika. But these rolls are crazy delicious.

12y